Updated itinerary
OK - After some commentary about the long travel days from the other two members of the family, we made some revisions to the original itinerary. We have added 3 new cities in order to have shorter distances to cover between stays. Here is the updated plan, with additional information about the things that we are hoping to see:
July 19 - July 26 Visit in New York with Margo's family and explore New York City.
July 26 fly to Edinburgh via Dublin, arrive on the morning of the 27th.
27 July - 1 August: Explore Edinburgh. We are staying at the Priestville Guest House http://www.priestville.com/rooms.html
We are planning to visit Edinburgh Castle, Stirling Castle, maybe take a day trip to the eastern coast and could join the hordes of DaVinci Code fans at the Rosslyn Chapel. We might be interested as well in the Edinburgh Literary Pub Tour.
1 August - 3 August: Inverness. Here we can explore the Scottish Highlands, look for the Loch Ness monster, visit a whisky distillery or two, visit Cawdor Castle, (ancestral home of the clan Macbeth), and see Culloden Battlefield, site where Bonnie Prince Charlie and his highland chieftans were routed by the English. The rebellion of the highlanders and their defeat at Culloden was followed by the murder of many highlanders and the suppression of Highland culture for many years
We'll be staying at the Ryeford Guest House: www.scotland-inverness.co.uk/ryeford
3 August - 6 August: Orkney Islands. These are on the far northern tip of Scotland and have been the beneficiaries of Scandinavian as well as Celtic cultural influences. My Australian family originated here and and I may even have opportunities to meet some distant cousins!
Here is our hotel info: http://www.royalhotel.biz/index.htm
For info on the Orkney Islands: http://www.visitscotland.com/aboutscotland/explorebymap/outerislands/
Some of the more interesting neolithic archeological sites in Europe are on the Orkney Islands; one of them has some interesting Viking graffiti carved into it.
6 August - 7 August Another night in Inverness, at the same lodging.
7 August - 9 August: Glasgow. We are staying at the Belhaven Hotel, http://www.belhavenhotel.com/index.html , and we are looking forward to exploring this exciting city, particularly seeing the architecture (Charles Rennie Macintosh). Mike is looking forward to a pub crawl. Glasgow is famous for its curries and we look frward to sampling what has become almost the national dish of the UK.
9 August - 10 August: Liverpool. home of The Beatles, need I say more? We'll be staying at a hotel on the Liverpool dock: http://www.feathers.uk.com/feathers/index.htm and hope to take one of Phil Hughes' famous Beatles tours. http://www.tourliverpool.co.uk/
10 August - 13 August: Northern Wales, specifically Snowdonia, a beautiful natural area about 30 miles from the coast. Accomodation at: http://aberconwy-house.co.uk/home.htm There a number of historical sites throughout Wales, many castles, and a beautiful coastline. We'll also take the historic railway to the top of Mount Snowden (and perhaps enjoy a picnic lunch while we are there.)
13 August - 14 August: Birmingham. We are staying for a night in this modern city in order to break up the travel time between Wales and London. While there, we will tour the Cadbury Chocolate Factory. We have reserved 2 rooms in an ultra-modern hotel. See the website for a picture of the rooms: www.nitenite.com . Birmingham also has a very modern shopping center with interesting architecture: www.bullring.co.uk . This will be a departure from the B&B / Historical Site / Castles and Ruins that we will be seeing during most of our trip.
14 August - 20 August: London. We are staying at the Alhambra Hotel, a low-cost lodging option located near King's Cross Station. http://www.alhambrahotel.com/
I am looking forward to seeing the many London sights on the tourist trail: Our plans include taking the Beefeater tour at the Tower of London, visiting St. Pauls Cathedral and Westminster Abbey, exploring Trafalgar Square and making brass rubbings at the church there, and spending some time at the markets including Portabello Road and Picadilly Circus, as well as taking a day trip or two to the countryside, possibly Bath or Glastonbury Tor. The British Museum is another must-see, and I am certain that Sarah will enjoy the mummies and the suits of armor that can be found there.
During this week I will also likely be preoccupied with getting more permanent lodging set up in Colchester as well as making arrangements for a car, phone, etc.
So, that is the trip, in a nutshell. While we are on the road we will be posting photos and stories of our travel as we go, so you can all stay updated.
Cheers,
Margo
July 19 - July 26 Visit in New York with Margo's family and explore New York City.
July 26 fly to Edinburgh via Dublin, arrive on the morning of the 27th.
27 July - 1 August: Explore Edinburgh. We are staying at the Priestville Guest House http://www.priestville.com/rooms.html
We are planning to visit Edinburgh Castle, Stirling Castle, maybe take a day trip to the eastern coast and could join the hordes of DaVinci Code fans at the Rosslyn Chapel. We might be interested as well in the Edinburgh Literary Pub Tour.
1 August - 3 August: Inverness. Here we can explore the Scottish Highlands, look for the Loch Ness monster, visit a whisky distillery or two, visit Cawdor Castle, (ancestral home of the clan Macbeth), and see Culloden Battlefield, site where Bonnie Prince Charlie and his highland chieftans were routed by the English. The rebellion of the highlanders and their defeat at Culloden was followed by the murder of many highlanders and the suppression of Highland culture for many years
We'll be staying at the Ryeford Guest House: www.scotland-inverness.co.uk/ryeford
3 August - 6 August: Orkney Islands. These are on the far northern tip of Scotland and have been the beneficiaries of Scandinavian as well as Celtic cultural influences. My Australian family originated here and and I may even have opportunities to meet some distant cousins!
Here is our hotel info: http://www.royalhotel.biz/index.htm
For info on the Orkney Islands: http://www.visitscotland.com/aboutscotland/explorebymap/outerislands/
Some of the more interesting neolithic archeological sites in Europe are on the Orkney Islands; one of them has some interesting Viking graffiti carved into it.
6 August - 7 August Another night in Inverness, at the same lodging.
7 August - 9 August: Glasgow. We are staying at the Belhaven Hotel, http://www.belhavenhotel.com/index.html , and we are looking forward to exploring this exciting city, particularly seeing the architecture (Charles Rennie Macintosh). Mike is looking forward to a pub crawl. Glasgow is famous for its curries and we look frward to sampling what has become almost the national dish of the UK.
9 August - 10 August: Liverpool. home of The Beatles, need I say more? We'll be staying at a hotel on the Liverpool dock: http://www.feathers.uk.com/feathers/index.htm and hope to take one of Phil Hughes' famous Beatles tours. http://www.tourliverpool.co.uk/
10 August - 13 August: Northern Wales, specifically Snowdonia, a beautiful natural area about 30 miles from the coast. Accomodation at: http://aberconwy-house.co.uk/home.htm There a number of historical sites throughout Wales, many castles, and a beautiful coastline. We'll also take the historic railway to the top of Mount Snowden (and perhaps enjoy a picnic lunch while we are there.)
13 August - 14 August: Birmingham. We are staying for a night in this modern city in order to break up the travel time between Wales and London. While there, we will tour the Cadbury Chocolate Factory. We have reserved 2 rooms in an ultra-modern hotel. See the website for a picture of the rooms: www.nitenite.com . Birmingham also has a very modern shopping center with interesting architecture: www.bullring.co.uk . This will be a departure from the B&B / Historical Site / Castles and Ruins that we will be seeing during most of our trip.
14 August - 20 August: London. We are staying at the Alhambra Hotel, a low-cost lodging option located near King's Cross Station. http://www.alhambrahotel.com/
I am looking forward to seeing the many London sights on the tourist trail: Our plans include taking the Beefeater tour at the Tower of London, visiting St. Pauls Cathedral and Westminster Abbey, exploring Trafalgar Square and making brass rubbings at the church there, and spending some time at the markets including Portabello Road and Picadilly Circus, as well as taking a day trip or two to the countryside, possibly Bath or Glastonbury Tor. The British Museum is another must-see, and I am certain that Sarah will enjoy the mummies and the suits of armor that can be found there.
During this week I will also likely be preoccupied with getting more permanent lodging set up in Colchester as well as making arrangements for a car, phone, etc.
So, that is the trip, in a nutshell. While we are on the road we will be posting photos and stories of our travel as we go, so you can all stay updated.
Cheers,
Margo
posted by Margo Nelson at 7:41 am
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